Frøya (6) and Trygve (5) Fjørtoft-Bjørnøy live on the island Fjørtofta in Ålesund municipality. Every day, until today, they have had to take a ferry to the island of Harøy where the school and kindergarten are. Large parts of the day until the kids have joined the journey. To make the logistics go up, the whole family has our turn. Grandparents have had to help pick up and deliver. – It has taken about 5.5 hours every day to pick up and deliver the kids at school and kindergarten. This has been the case for the last four years, says mother Ann Mari Bjørnøy. Ann Mari Bjørnøy is looking forward to a new journey. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news New time for the family Today, the Fjørtoftfjord tunnel opened to traffic. The 3680 meter long underwater tunnel replaces the ferry between Fjørtofta and Harøya. Bjørnøy is now looking forward to simpler transport stages. In the future, she will spend about an hour a day driving the children. – I look forward to everything I can do, and not have to run like crazy to reach the ferry, Bjørnøy laughs. From ferry to bus Many had turned up to see the tunnel open. Frøya and Trygve were responsible for the rope cutting. – It will be nice to be able to drive whenever you want and not have to think about reaching the ferry. Frøya and Trygve were responsible for the rope cutting of the Fjørtoftfjord tunnel. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news The young people who were to return to Harøya by bus will be the first to drive the tunnel after it has been opened. – It will be very exciting, the kids agreed. Long battle The Fjørtoftfjord tunnel is part of Nordøyvegen, the county road project that provides a fixed road connection between five islands in Ålesund. For NOK 5.6 billion, 2,700 islanders will replace two ferries with bridges and underwater tunnels. Nordøyvegen The Nordøyveg project: Realization of Nordøyvegen will provide a permanent road connection to Lepsøya, Haramsøya, Skuløya / Flemsøya and Fjørtofta and Harøya in Ålesund. The project includes four fjord crossings and upgrading / conversion of new main roads on the islands to a two-lane road standard. The Nordøyveg project will replace two county road ferry connections as well as one high-speed boat connection. Nordøyane: Nordøyvegen will provide mainland connections for around 3200 people who live on Nordøyane. The around 10,000 inhabitants of the islands are at the same time connected more closely through a fixed road connection. The business community is largely based on industry and then especially industry aimed at offshore and ships. A mainland connection will have a major effect on the North Islands and the surrounding area, and there are probably large effects that lie in a diverse labor market with commuting from the mainland and vice versa. Source: mrfylke.no. There have been many downturns for Nordøyvegen, such as constant rematch in the county council, underwater tunnels that became too steep and a cost gap of NOK 800 million. Completed in August Nordøyvegen will be opened in three stages. In December last year, the section between Flemsøy / Skuløy, Haramsøya, Lepsøya and Skjeltene opened. In August, it is ready for a large-scale opening party when the Nogvafjord tunnel between Fjørtofta and Flemsøy / Skuløy is opened and the entire Nordøyvegen can be taken into use. When toll collection starts in September, it can cost 175 kroner to pass the barrier, with a discount. The collection is proposed to last for 25 years. Nordøyvegen is a county road project that will provide a permanent road connection between the islands Lepsøya, Haramsøya, Flemsøy / Skuløy, Fjørtofta and Harøya in Ålesund. Photo: news
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Spends over five hours every day driving the children – now a tunnel turns everything upside down
